The biggest thing for me is the keyboard. It doesn't feel like a laptop keyboard, it has more of the feel of a regular desktop keyboard. I have had it on for three hours sitting on my lap and haven't felt and heat at all. So far I'm quite satisfied.

disco_barred wrote:this is a ridiculously good deal: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... CatId=2289 - that exact laptop is currently also for sale on newegg.com for $1800 or something stupid like that, and most models on ebay are closer to 1300-1500 even if actually used.

it was released feb 2008 (at ~$3,000) to compete with the macbook air, but has much better usability. main concern would be the processor - it will absolutely be fast enough for office and word processing - but would ham string the computer it in terms of gaming and some other cpu intensive applications.

Hattip to disco_barred: I just ordered my Lenovo X300 from TigerDirect.com. Can't wait to get it next week. I thought this price was a mistake. I saw the same laptop offered by my school's IT department for about $2,800 (but it was only offered to faculty). So this is an incredible deal!

If you want one, buy quickly. The website is experiencing intermittent times of "THis item is currently unavailable."

UNC2009 wrote:Hattip to disco_barred: I just ordered my Lenovo X300 from TigerDirect.com. Can't wait to get it next week. I thought this price was a mistake. I saw the same laptop offered by my school's IT department for about $2,800 (but it was only offered to faculty). So this is an incredible deal!

If you want one, buy quickly. The website is experiencing intermittent times of "This item is currently unavailable."

Two pieces of good news: First, it arrived at my door today - which means it isn't vaporware and the price isn't a mistake (it's on Newegg & Amazon for like 2,000!).

Second, these computer must have been sitting around for a long time - I don't know if it means anything to you, but mine at least came with an SLC solid state drive - which should be faster and have better longevity than the MLC sold state drives that are much more common these days. It is also a much more expensive part!

Absolutely love it so far - the fit and finish is out of this world, as is the weight, and it's plenty snappy even on 1.2 Ghz. There's a lot to be said for being fast for the sake of being fast, but modern computers really don't need blistering speed for office and internet tasks.

angiej wrote:A friend sent this to me, I don't know enough about computers to really join the debate of Mac v. PC but I thought some of you would get a kick out of this:

BILL GATES vs GM

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated: 'If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.'

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: 'If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):

1) For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.

2) Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3) Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4) Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5) Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6) The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single 'This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation' warning light.

7) The airbag system would ask 'Are you sure?' before deploying.

Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door

handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9) Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

crystalhawkeye wrote:So if I kept Vista, what are those programs that can be removed to help system optimization? I'll probably just get AVG instead of Norton/MacAfee. Also, thoughts on the DVD Recordable feature? I can't see myself needing it and would rather save the money and get the Turbo Memory Cache.

What you should remove depends on the brand of computer. I work in tech support and we do this a lot. Why don't you send me a list of all programs when you receive your computer and I can help you to identify what to remove? The list of all programs can be accessed by typing "Programs and Features" into Vista's search bar. Screenshots work, too. It's a really simple process.

That would be great! I should be getting it in a few weeks. My Desktop just came back from the shop and seems to be working quite well thus far, so at least I have something for now.

After a lot of consideration b/w the T400 and the X200 tablet, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the tablet, considering the price difference is minuscule and the lack of optical drive and low-end integrated graphics makes no difference for me school-wise. I'd much rather have something I could snuggle up with in a chair or bed with, and read and highlight notes with. Plus, I've wanted a tablet for the longest time and damn it if I'm not going to us this opportunity to get what I want . But if anyone has any solid reasons why I should reconsider, please let me know before I throw down the dough.

Also,, does anyone knows the difference b/w the default WXGA screen and the $200 upgrade for the "Multitouch, Multiview" screen? From what I've been able to ascertain, it pretty much just adds finger input in addition to pen input, and isn't "multitouch" in the true sense of the word (you can't use both finger+pen at the same time with the Lenovo). This is pretty much the only thing I'm still confused about, and is keeping me from purchasing the lapto , so your help is much appreciated. Thanks!

I usually try to wait until the last minute to make technology purchases, but there prices seem like a good deal in case any wants to pull the trigger right now.

On a side note, has anyone heard any news about if Microsoft will give upgrade discounts to those who purchase Vista machines before the Windows 7 launch? I am 7RC1 right now and it is working extremely bad ass.

I usually try to wait until the last minute to make technology purchases, but there prices seem like a good deal in case any wants to pull the trigger right now.

On a side note, has anyone heard any news about if Microsoft will give upgrade discounts to those who purchase Vista machines before the Windows 7 launch? I am 7RC1 right now and it is working extremely bad ass.

Do most schools have enough places for everyone to plug in during class? I am probably going to do the computer at home/ netbook at school combo with one of the ASUS models, either the 1008HA or the 1005HA coming out soon and need to know if 4 hours is enough battery life, or if I really need to get one of the models boasting a 10 hour battery life.

TheIllogicalReasoner wrote:Sorry if this has been answered or is common knowledge.

Do most schools have a place for you to plug in during class? I am probably going to do the computer at home/ netbook at school combo with one of the ASUS models, either the 1008HA or the 1005HA coming out soon and need to know if 4 hours is enough battery life, or if I really need to get one of the models boasting a 10 hour battery life.

Thanks!

Most good schools do. I know that sounds eh, I don't know. But I've visited at least a dozen law schools. And my experience has been that tier1 school pretty much have it covered extremely well, unless there is maybe a few older rooms, or there are a couple classrooms in an older building or something. But of the few tier2 schools I've visited, they had some really older classrooms with bad technology hookups. I personally would err on the side of caution, and go for bigger battery life (not necessarily 10 hours), but I'd want more than 4. One of the main reasons why is battery longevity (or battery lifespan). Also, the advertised battery times aren't necessarily true with wifi on and such. My almost 4yr old notebook is lucky to get an 1 of battery life right now, and it almost never got the advertised 4 hours with the WiFi on.

Anyone have any thoughts on either of these? the reviews seem to be ok. I have never owned an HP.

4200 specs:

17 inch screen320 gb hard drive3 gb ram2.0 ghz dual core

My thought is I hope you aren't planning on carrying that thing anywhere, except on rare occasion, and certainly not in conjunction with casebooks.

Because of screen or weight? I am used to hauling a 17in screen in my backpack. It does weigh 7 pounds, which sucks, but I have always had a loaded backpack and my laptop right now weighs 6 pounds. I can see how the hp t4200 combined with casebooks could be straining on my back.

cconnoll wrote:Because of screen or weight? I am used to hauling a 17in screen in my backpack. It does weigh 7 pounds, which sucks, but I have always had a loaded backpack and my laptop right now weighs 6 pounds. I can see how the hp t4200 combined with casebooks could be straining on my back.